Rays Claim Jay Buente; Designate Rob Delaney

The Rays claimed righty Jay Buente off waivers from the Marlins and created a 40-man roster spot by designating pitcher Rob Delaney for assignment, tweets The Tampa Tribune. The Rays then optioned Buente to Triple-A.

Buente was designated for assignment yesterday by the Marlins to clear a spot on the active roster for Steve Cishek. The 27-year-old posted a 1.94 ERA, 9.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and 0.2 HR/9 in 41 2/3 Triple-A innings this year, including five starts. He spent most of 2010 in relief, posting a 10.0 K/9 across three levels. Buente was a fifth-round pick of the Marlins in 2007.

The Rays claimed Delaney off waivers from the Twins in late January. The 26-year-old right-handed reliever had been optioned to Triple-A on Friday to open a spot for J.P. Howell. In recent years he's posted big strikeout rates at Triple-A, though he allowed ten home runs in 80 frames last year. Baseball America ranked him 24th among Twins prospects prior to the 2009 season, noting that Delaney does not throw particularly hard but his fastball has excellent sink and he has above-average command.